Monmouth County Clerk M. Claire French has announced that noted military historian Joseph G. Bilby ofWall Township has been selected for the 2011 Jane G. Clayton Award.
“Mr. Bilby has done an excellent job building a body of work that chronicles our local history, with a special emphasis on military history,” French said. “Through his diligent research and care, Monmouth County’s history has been documented for future generations.”
The award will be presented at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 15 during Archives and History Day at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, 125 Symmes Dr., Manalapan. The event is free and no registration is required to attend.
According to a press release, Bilby, a Vietnam veteran, has taught military history on the community college level and lectured widely on Civil War and New Jersey history. He is currently the part-time assistant curator of the New Jersey National Guard and Militia Museum in Sea Girt and a freelance writer and historical consultant.
He is the author, editor or co-author of a dozen books and more than 300 articles about New Jersey history and folklore, military history and outdoor subjects.
The Monmouth County-related books include “Monmouth Court House: The Battle That Made the American Army,” “Asbury Park: A Brief History” and “Sea Girt: A Brief History.”
His books about New Jersey’s Civil War regiments, such as “Remember You Are Jerseymen: A Military History of New Jersey’s Troops in the Civil War,” co-authored by William C. Goble, includes information about Monmouth County soldiers.
Bilby is a trustee of the New Jersey Civil War Heritage Association, and a member and publications editor of New Jersey’s official Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee.
Created in 1997, the Jane G. Clayton Award honors individuals who, over a substantial number of years, have made exceptional contributions to the awareness, understanding or preservation of Monmouth County history. The award is named after former Monmouth County Clerk Jane G. Clayton, who was responsible for the creation of the Monmouth County Archives.
Past winners of the award include George Moss, Mary Lou Strong, Louise Jost, Wesley Banse, Douglas Foulks, Gail Hunton, Michael Adelberg, Lee Ellen Griffith, Flora Higgins, Gerald Ceres, Karen Schnitzspahn, Lydia Wikoff, Garry Wheeler Stone and Edward J. Raser.